Co-Convenors:
Masahito Hirota (Japan)
Jianguang Fang (China)
Mitsutaku Makino (Japan)
Grant Murray (Canada)
Naesun Park (Korea)
Mark Wells (USA)
Invited Speakers:
Thierry Chopin (University of New Brunswick, Canada)
Mark Flaherty (University of Victoria, Canada)
Susanna Nurdjaman (Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia)
Suhendar I Sachoemar (Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), Indonesia)
Several recent studies and reports suggest that increased aquaculture production is essential if we are to meet
the growing world demands for marine protein. However, the rapid current development of intensive fed
aquaculture (e.g., finfish and shrimp), in both developed and developing countries, has generated concerns about
the environmental impacts of these often monospecific practices. To help address such issues, Integrated Multi-
Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) has been attracting global attention as a means to conduct aquaculture activities,
while at the same time improving/rehabilitating coastal environmental conditions and improving the well-being
of the people living in coastal areas. By integrating fed aquaculture with inorganic and organic extractive
aquaculture (seaweed and invertebrates), the wastes of one resource become a resource (fertilizer or food) for
the others. This “ecosystem-like†approach provides nutrient bioremediation capabilities, mutual benefits to
the co-cultured organisms, economic diversification by production of other value-added marine products,
and increased profitability and food security for the local community. This session seeks contributions and
case studies of how to implement and conduct IMTA activities, in particular that reduce negative impacts to
the quality of the local environment and improve the well-being of the local human communities. Examples
of activities in tropical and semi-tropical locations are particularly welcome, as well as examples of general
methods and approaches that can be applied in many different environments. This session is a contribution of,
and towards, the work of the PICES Project on Marine Ecosystem Health and Human Well-Being (MarWeB).
